Odds and Ends and Updates

Well, now I know which of my unidentified Hibscus rosa-sinensis plants received the hard pruning described in my post of January 8. It was the yellow-flowered one. I know this because the red flowered one bloomed today!

NoId Hibiscus rosa-sinensis

Now, if I'm smart, I'll put a label in the plants so I'll know what's what from now on.

Foxy, my rather brutally pruned Asparagus meyersii, has put out another new "frond." I think I'll declare this experiment a success.

This new branch has a fairly loose growth habit, due to the fairly weak winter sunlight. I think that it is pretty, anyway.

I wrote on January 27 that I would post a picture of my Sansevieria gracilis/ballyii/whatever flowers when the buds opened. Well, some of them opened and closed and fell off before I remembered to take a picture, but here is the bloom stalk with at least some open flowers.

Sansevieria flowers

From that same post, I noted that my Sinningia speciosa was re-sprouting , and posted pictures of its tiny new leaves. Here they are today:

Sinningia speciosa (Florist Gloxinia) leaves, considerable larger than in the original post

Finally, yesterday, I said that I had decided not to post pictures of heart-shaped leaves for Valentine's Day. But I like these pictures of Peperomia incana, so I decided not to let them go to waste.

Heart-shaped Peperomia incana leaf, silhouetted against the snowy outdoors...

...and here, showing the fuzzy texture of the leaves.

Little Things Can Mean a Lot

Through the inevitable winter doldrums, and despite my minor case of plant burnout, January continues to produce some pleasant little surprises:

New growth for Sansevieria trifasciata 'Bantel's Sensation.' Note the small leaf on the left, and the brand new offshoot just coming up on the bottom far right, near the pot rim.

Sansevieria trifasciata 'Bantel's Sensation,' whole plant.

'Bantel's Sensation' is a somewhat temperamental plant for me, compared to my other Sansevieria trifasciata varieties. It tends to lose a leaf or two every season, though it always follows through with new growth.

After a few months' rest, my Sinningia speciosa is putting out new growth as well:

Tiny Sinningia speciosa (Florist's Gloxinia) leaves sprouting from the tuber, which I keep partially above the soil level. I've had this particular tuber for four or five growing seasons now.

In other Sansevieria news, my only NoId plant is not only putting out new vegetative growth,

New shoot on the left

but is flowering as well.

Sansevieria NoId flower stalk

Close-up showing the sticky nectar droplets clinging to the base of the yet unopened buds.

The whole plant

It was suggested that my Noid Sans might be Sansevieria ballyi or Sansevieria gracilis in the comments to this post. (Thanks, Nature Assassin!) I had considered S. gracilis before, but now I am leaning toward S. ballyi. But I'm not quite certain enough to put a label on it yet.